Rising water bills have become a familiar part of life for Plano residents and that's not likely to change in the coming years, city officials say. The water district plans to raise the rates it charges its member cities, including Plano, by 10 percent each year through the fiscal year ending in 2020, all but guaranteeing the city will have to follow suit by raising residential water bills. Over the next three or four years, the city plans to spend $25 million to replace its water meters. Some of that work has already happened. The principal driver of water rate increases in Plano is the North Texas Municipal Water District, whose charges account for about two-thirds of the city’s water and sewer costs, according to Vice President Dan Jackson of Willdan Financial Services, a consulting firm the city employs to analyze its water and sewer rates. (Information provided by Plano communityimpact.com Aug. 25, 2017)

​Over the past several years we at Heads Up realized that once the drought was over homeowners and businesses alike, were slipping back into bad watering habits, according to Co-owner Caryn Walz . So we decided to change our mission statement to reflect what we all need to do as water users. “Change the Face of Irrigation”. We have Smart Technology to help us use less water that is manufactured right here in Plano, TX. We teamed up with Rachio Inc. in 2015 as Pro Installers. Our company volunteers for City Sponsored Residential outreach programs to teach responsible landscape water use and do-it-yourself repairs.

With Plano's aging infrastructure we have an opportunity to upgrade our homes and businesses with water saving technology. Smart WiFi Controllers, low flow nozzles, and now a Bluetooth Flow Meter to help detect leaks and shut down problem zones in real time. City programs like the “Great Update” for homes over 35 years of age and sensor rebates provide water bill credits. We want to help homeowners be proactive on home maintenance. Help them understand that we now have affordable tools to help us manage our outdoor water use, that don’t cost thousands of dollars. One bad leak would pay for the cost of the new controller and two leaks would pay for the flow meter. The City of Plano has the ability to track water down to a tenth of a gallon. What that means is they will be able to better track water usage, which will result in a higher water bill for residential and commercial users. Our renewed goal as Texas Licensed professionals is to help water users understand how much landscape water is being used, and provide them a tool that is literally at their fingertips.

In the past three years we have installed over 600 Rachio Smart Controllers in Collin County. Best of all, we have recycled all the old controllers through Rachio's free recycle program. Our company has been installing Water Smart technology for local Municipalities and big box retailers for almost a decade. After watching the big rush on drip irrigation installs during the drought and now mounting homeowner frustration of high water usage from poor maintenance that goes along with drip. We decided we need to do an even better job of educating the people we serve.

Every city in North Texas has a Sustainable program with free educational classes or low cost ways to improve your footprint. Classes are open to any and all residents no matter where you live.